Singers to present their Favourite Things

Ellon Parish Church

Published:11:49Tuesday 17 May 2016

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The Ythan Singers are preparing to perform at Ellon Parish Church this weekend.

As the choir is now in its 36th year, the group’s musical director, Morag Paton, allowed members to choose five of their all time favourite songs and so the concert will be named “Our Favourite Things”.

The concert programme features songs including the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway medley, “Bless This House”.

Choir members also chose many modern songs including some by John Rutter; “For the Beauty of the Earth”, “A Gaelic Blessing” and one of their most recent editions to their repertoire “The Seal Lullaby” written in 2004 by Eric Whitacre, originally for a Disney film that was never made .

This lullaby is based on a Rudyard Kipling poem and was commissioned as a four-part choral arrangement in 2008 by The Towne Singers.

The lullaby evokes the sounds of the mother seals singing to their pups, which is frequently heard at the mouth of the Ythan.

This year the Singers have invited two talented instrumentalists from Ellon Academy as guests: Amy Fraser (oboist) and Rebecca Petrie (Saxophonist).

Amy has been playing the oboe for 7 years, and the piano for 10 years.

Throughout her school years, Amy has played in various orchestras, junior and senior bands.

She has been a member of the Aberdeenshire Youth Orchestra, with whom she travelled to Germany last June.

She has also been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland.

Meanwhile Rebecca started playing saxophone in 1st year at the age of 12.

She plays in the Ellon Academy concert band and orchestra, as well as the Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra.